The invention relates to a decorative panel comprising a core layer and a decorative layer on one or both sides, as well as to a method for its manufacture. Panels of this type are used in the building industry for interior or exterior walls, either as facing panels or as self-supporting elements, depending on their thickness.
The panels used heretofore are, for instance, decorative pressed laminate panels (defined by DIN 16 926), known as "high pressure laminates" (H.P.L. panels). They comprise a core layer consisting of a thermopressed stack of resinated paper webs and a covering layer of resinated decorative paper. These panels have the disadvantage of being attacked by mineral acids, especially at concentrations over 10% and a reaction time longer than 10 minutes. Furthermore, in their standard version, these panels are not sufficiently weather-resistant, because the type of resin used in the covering layer is vulnerable to hydrolysis. Panels of this kind can therefore be used only to a limited extent as work surfaces in chemical laboratories or for the production of wet cells, which must be cleaned with acids. If they are used outdoors, additional, expensive provisions must be made in order to improve their resistance to the effects of weather.
On the other hand, plastic-based laminates and panels, such as polyester or acrylate panels, are particularly vulnerable to scratching and are not sufficiently resistant to organic solvents. For this reason, they, too, are less well suited to these applications.